New Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Opens the Door to Economic Revitalization Across Arizona
Contributed Article
PHOENIX — On Monday, Aug. 3, the Arizona Finance Authority (AFA) announced the launch of a new Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program (BF-RLF), designated for projects focused on cleanup activities for environmentally contaminated sites. Funding for the program has been provided through a $1 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which will be loaned to qualifying applicants to conduct environmental cleanup activities at contaminated properties located in Arizona.
A brownfield site is a property where redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence—or potential presence—of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. These sites are often former industrial, commercial, or manufacturing properties, but they can also include abandoned gas stations, dry cleaners, warehouses, rail yards, and landfills no longer in use. While brownfield sites may not necessarily be heavily contaminated, even sites with limited contamination require a cleanup process (determined in a pre-work site evaluation) before the property can be safely reused.
The remediation and cleaning of brownfield sites and preparing them for safe redevelopment is instrumental in protecting public health from potential hazardous material exposure as well as protecting the environment surrounding the site. Further, adaptive reuse of sites with new businesses helps revitalize the communities where these sites are located and provide opportunities for new projects that benefit these communities. Loan funding from the BF-RLF may be provided to eligible nonprofits, private for-profit entities, and local and Tribal governments, to be used for environmental cleanup activities, including:
- Covering costs to treat, remove, or mitigate environmental contamination;
- Hazardous material or waste disposal fees;
- Confirmation sampling or other cleanup-related sampling; and
- Engineering controls.
“The Brownfields RLF program aims to create opportunities to return contaminated property to productive use,” said Robin Romano, Board Chairperson of the Arizona Finance Authority. “The opportunity to replace an environmentally contaminated site with a clean site ready for redevelopment offers communities across the state the chance to safely build new businesses that will deliver positive economic impacts by creating new jobs that benefit the residents of the local communities where these properties are located.”
“By coupling this new funding with ADEQ’s Voluntary Remediation Program, we can remove the financial barriers to environmental cleanups while ensuring these sites are remediated to the highest safety standards for our communities,” said Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) Waste Programs Division Director Julie Riemenschneider.
AFA will accept applications on a rolling basis beginning on Aug. 1, 2026, issuing qualifying applicants low-interest loans to perform approved cleanup activities. To access the application and determine eligibility for receiving funding from the BF-RLF, potential applicants should review the program guidelines. To be eligible, the site must enter the ADEQ Voluntary Remediation Program.
The BF-RLF Program will award funding to eligible nonprofits, private for-profit entities, and local and Tribal governments through a selective loan process. Successful applicants must not be potentially liable under section 107 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
For more information on the AFA and its programs, visit afa.az.gov.
